Highlights: India 'pharmacy of the world', says Harsh Vardhan

“Further, keeping in view the recent spike in new cases in few states/UTs, ongoing festival season and onset of winter, it is emphasised that to fully overcome the pandemic, there is need to maintain caution and to strictly follow the prescribed containment strategy, focussed on surveillance, containment and strict observance of the guidelines/SOPs (standard operating procedures) issued by MHA and ministry of health and family welfare,” MHA order said.

In order to ensure consistency in the practice of wearing face masks among people, states and Union territories may consider implementing stricter rules, the Union ministry of home affairs said in its new guidelines released on Wednesday.

The MHA said that state governments can consider implementing staggered office timings and other suitable measures in cities where the weekly case positivity rate is more than 10 percent so that the number of employees attending offices at the same time can be reduced.

State and UT governments can’t impose local lockdown outside the containment zones, without prior consultation with the central government, the release said.

The home ministry said in the release, "States and union territories (UTs), based on their assessment of the situation, may impose local restrictions, with a view to contain the spread of Covid-19 such as night curfew.”

“Local district, police and municipal authorities shall be responsible to ensure that the prescribed containment measures are strictly followed,” the home ministry said.

The home ministry said that the main focus of the guidelines is to consolidate the substantial gains that have been achieved against the spread of Covid-19 which is visible in the steady decline in number of active cases in the country.

The guidelines which will come into force from December 1, empower the states to impose local restrictions, including night curfew.

Russian authorities have registered a record number of coronavirus deaths for a second straight day. The government coronavirus task force reported 507 new deaths on Wednesday, the country's highest daily toll. The previous record of 491 deaths was reported on Tuesday. A total of 37,538 people have died from the coronavirus in Russia, according to the task force.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told European Union lawmakers that “the first European citizens might already be vaccinated before the end of December.” She said that the first citizens in the 27 nation bloc could be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Christmas, but she warned that member countries must urgently prepare their logistical chains for the rollout of hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccines. Von der Leyen added, "there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel.”

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in the national capital, some district authorities have been setting up micro-containment zones where two or more infections have been reported for better management of the pandemic, officials said on Wednesday. Normally, an area is marked containment zone where three or more COVID-19 cases are detected. But it is a dynamic exercise, conducted by district authorities on a need-based manner, they said.

Bulgaria said on Wednesday it would close schools, restaurants, shopping malls and gyms until December 21 as it struggles to contain a surge in new coronavirus infections. The restrictions, which will start late on Friday, are aimed at preventing a strained health system from being overwhelmed and at halting the spread of infections in the Balkan country of 7 million people.

Indonesia reported on Wednesday a record daily rise in coronavirus infections with 5,534 new cases, bringing the total to 511,836, according to its Covid-19 task force. The task force's data also showed 114 new Covid-19 deaths, bringing total fatalities to 16,225.

Punjab Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh orders night curfew in all towns and cities from 10 pm to 5 am and doubles fine for flouting Covid-19 norms to ₹1000, with effect from December 1.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal requested experts to audit Covid-19 death cases and suggest measures to reduce fatalities in the national capital, amid a spurt in the infections in the city.

Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Wednesday that the government wants to limit attendance at sports and other large events through end of the year to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The US said it is donating 15 new, state-of-the-art ventilators to Bhutan through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist the country in its fight against Covid-19. In a statement, the US embassy said the ventilators are compact and easy to deploy, and support a range of care functions, allowing healthcare workers to respond to the fluctuating needs of coronavirus patients.